Marcos open to Lacson proposal on recovering stolen public funds

The Marcos administration is open to any measures that will ensure the recovery of stolen public funds, Malacañang said on Monday.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro was reacting to the suggestion of Senator Panfilo Lacson wherein he is pushing for a "retribution plus restitution" formula in which those involved in anomalous flood control and other infrastructure projects could be given a shorter jail time in exchange for returning at least 80% of their stolen money to the government.

''Unang-una po ay mayroon naman po ding kapangyarihan ang Pangulo, iyong tinatawag nating executive clemency through a commutation of sentence at mayroon din po tayong tinatawag na conditional pardon na dapat ay iyong mga requirements ay natupad,'' Castro said in a briefing.

(The President also has the executive clemency power through a commutation of sentence and we also have the conditional pardon if the needed requirements were met.) 

''Pero sa ngayon po, lahat po ng mga magagandang suhestiyon para po ma-recover natin ang mga nasasabing nanakaw na pondo ng bayan at para mapanagot ang dapat mapanagot ay bukas po ang Pangulo, ang administrasyon patungkol po diyan,'' she added. 

(At this point, all the good suggestions to recover the stolen public funds are being welcomed by the President, and by the administration.) 

Lacson said the government and taxpayers can potentially get back an initial P26 billion from contracted flood control "ghost" or non-existent projects between 2023 and 2025 worth P629 billion.

He added that his proposed formula would still depend on the political will of those conducting the investigations, including the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), Office of the Ombudsman, Department of Justice, and the judiciary.

Lacson, former chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said the government could also recover more by going after the insurance companies of the anomalous infrastructure projects. — RF, GMA Integrated News